Florida lawmaker proposes bill criminalizing adults bringing children to drag shows
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A Dallas bar held a family friendly “Drag the kids to pride” event in honor of Pride Month.
Lawmakers in Florida took issue with the event and intend to file legislation targeting drag shows.
The proposed bill would make it a felony to take a child to a drag show and could terminate parental rights.
Florida legislators are taking aim again at the LGBTQ+ community, introducing legislation that would make it a felony to bring a child to a drag show. The bill is a direct response to a Texas bar hosting a family friendly drag show in honor of Pride Month.
Mr. Misster is a Dallas bar that hosted a “Drag the kids to pride” show on Saturday that allowed kids to dance with performers on stage. The show was put on in an effort to raise money for local LGBTQ+ youth organizations and incorporate guests who cannot normally attend shows at the bar due to a drinking age restriction, according to local media.
However, legislators in Florida took offense at the event and decided to take immediate action.
Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R) condemned the Dallas event on Twitter and said he would be proposing legislation that would charge an adult who brought a child to a drag show with a felony and terminate their parental rights.
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In a press conference on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) described the Dallas drag show as “really, really disturbing,” while confirming he’s asked his staff to look into the proposed legislation.
DeSantis emphasized Florida’s efforts to protect kids against child abuse, referencing his “Parental Rights in Education” bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Under the law, which was signed by DeSantis in March, classroom instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity is restricted in state primary schools.
“There’s a movement to inject these things like gender ideology in elementary schools even, and my view is our schools need to be teaching these kids to read and write and add and subtract,” said DeSantis at a press conference.
Texas lawmakers are also attempting to act, with state Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) releasing a statement condemning the Dallas drag show, saying in part, “The events of this past weekend were horrifying and show a disturbing trend in which perverted adults are obsessed with sexualizing young children.”
In a statement to local media, Mr. Misster defended its event, saying it held the family friendly show “because we believe that everyone should have a space to be able to celebrate who they are.”
Seventeen different bills targeting LGBTQ+ people have been signed into law in 10 states this year alone, while more than 355 are under consideration in legislatures in 36 states.
“We must continue our efforts to defeat discriminatory bills and champion pro-equality bills,” the Human Rights Campaign said on Twitter in its weekly update of “bad bills” that are advancing across the country.
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